Erin Jones-Wesley

Dear (Suburban) Black Girl, You are *magical*, yes. You are a queen, full stop, period. I’m not here to tell you that you shouldn’t pick your head up, dust it off, and keep it pushing when the haters (or systemic racism) get you down. It can actually be challenging to maintain a smile sometimes, to be the source of strength that many seek for inspiration. I understand what it means to have to laugh off the jokes your friends say when you’re the only one who looks like you in your friend group. It can be a challenge to feel different, to know you are different, but to seek so much normalcy and “sameness” anyways.

I live in Santa Monica, on the Westside of Los Angeles, which basically means anything that makes me get on the freeway has to be very, very important because I just genuinely LOVE my neighborhood.

Why do you love the sport that you play? Is it because of your teammates, your coaches? Is it a family tradition, or the love of competition? Do you love it because you’re good at it, or because it’s just become your identity? Maybe it’s a blend of all of these things together.

Did you watch the video? I hope so, there is an ode to my life's VS angel moment which has been turned into gif, amazing right?

The #AsSheIs Challenge has swept Instagram by storm through the Miss Universe/Miss USA Organization, sharing the Live Life Unfiltered initiative. The “challenge” is to empower women to be as they are. As many of us have read, social media is linked to a significant increase in depression, suicide, anxiety, and body image issues. The mission of #AsSheIs is to remind women that we all have insecurities and bad days, despite what Instagram may portray.

Since I was a little girl, I’ve always had this crown. Sometimes I wore it, like for birthdays or parties, but mostly it was like my own version of an invisible cape.